Mar 2 Matcha Cake with Coconut Frosting

I'll admit - I am currently living a caffeine-fuled life. Now that I am no longer pregnant and am running around everyday slightly very sleep deprived, coffee is my beastie. I've always been a moderate coffee and tea drinker, but now that I'm a mother, I totally understand moms and their caffeine dependency. Before having a child, I never quite grasped the urgency in other moms stating how they "need their coffee" or "don't talk to me before I've had my coffee," and the like. I always knew having child would change everything including sleep patterns, but I am starting to finally get it. If I am being completely honest, then I will confess that Baby Huff is actually a pretty good sleeper and I know we've lucked out a bit in that department - but unless I want to spend my days tending to a newborn as a walking zombie, you better hand over that cup of caffeine.

I've always had sleep troubles, so I am used to regulating my caffeine intake. No coffee after 2pm - no black tea after 5pm. Drink plenty of water with each caffeinated beverage, blah blah blah. Now however, my insomnia issues have been traded in for breastfeeding - keeping the caffeine-intake tango still alive and well. What I am saying is, now when I crave that cup of coffee more than ever, there are still some things to consider before pounding an entire french press in one sitting. Fortunately, I have experience in this. If I have a cup of green tea to perk me up in the morning, then I can indulge in an extra-frothy latte or grande americano should we make it out of the house that afternoon - and vice versa. If I have the morning shift that day (yes, my amazing husband and I take turns waking up early with our little snuggle bug) and have lost track of how many Keurig cups I've consumed, then I can always go with a delicious Matcha Latte as my afternoon treat.

For years now, I've been pretty enamoured by matcha. In a drink, in a dessert - either way, I am totally intrigued. I love matcha in Japanese desserts - they tend to be light and not-so-sweet. I equally love a matcha latte - with its unmistakable flavor of a creamy, sweetened green tea. I first came across real matcha (as opposed to just green tea) while in Tokyo nearly a decade ago. Thankfully for the rest of us, matcha and matcha-flavored items can be easily found everywhere these days. There are even matcha Kit-Kats, for crying out loud! Recently, I splurged on a tin of my own matcha powder. It was pretty pricey, but I knew I would get good use out of it by making my own lattes. I was wrong. I've tried and tried, but my homemade matcha lattes end up tasting like grass. Thankfully there is more than one use for the stuff besides beverages. Since I had the tin sitting in my kitchen, I was determined to find new ways to incorporate the unique flavor into my recipes. Last year I made Matcha Sesame Macarons and you will even be able to find an awesome Matcha Ganache in my book next spring. But today, it is all about this Matcha Cake with Coconut Frosting.

This pound cake is a bit denser than a layer cake yet still moist and extremely flavourful. The kind of cake best served with a a cup of tea or coffee to get you through the lull of the afternoon. The cake itself stays moist and tender with a combination of real butter, coconut oil, and coconut milk. I had a feeling that matcha and coconut would go well together, but I was pleasantly surprised by how amazing the combo ended being. The mound of fluffy coconut frosting doesn't hurt either. So if you are in need of an afternoon pick-me-up or are a little bit sleep deprived like me, make this cake and enjoy a slice with your bagillionth cup of joe or tea of the day.

Matcha Cake with Coconut Frosting

Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 rounded tablespoons matcha powder

1/2 cup coconut oil, softened

12 tablespoons (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 eggs

3/4 cup plain yogurt

3/4 cup coconut milk

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2 1/2 - 3 cups confectioner's sugar

2 - 4 tablespoons coconut cream or coconut milk solids

1/2 teaspoons vanilla

shredded coconut

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a large loaf pan and set aside.

Sift together the dry ingredients and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, place the butter and coconut oil. With the mixer on medium, mix until combined. Add the sugar and mix on medium for about 3-5 minutes, or until creamed.

Add in the vanilla and eggs, mixing well in between. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

With the mixer on low and working in alternating batches, add in the flour mixture, yogurt, and coconut milk - starting and ending with the flour mixture.

Mix on medium for no more than 30 seconds or until combined.

Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 45-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in to the center of the cake comes out clean.

Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before removing cake from its pan.

For the frosting, cream the butter with an electric mixer.

Carefully add in the confectioner's sugar, coconut cream, and vanilla until combined.

Mix on medium until frosting is smooth yet fluffy.

After the cake has completely cooled, swirl on the coconut frosting and sprinkle with shredded coconut, if desired.

NOTE: If you find yourself with much more batter than your loaf pan will take, simply bake off any leftover batter in a smaller cake pan. Adjust time accordingly.